Syro-Malabar Church uniform mass: Priests attraction to legitimise present mode of holy mass

By Express News Service

KOCHI: A day after Syro-Malabar Church head Cardinal Mar George Alenchery’s path to bishops to ‘correct’ the dispensation given to church buildings and parishes, a piece of monks from Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese on Saturday met metropolitan vicar Mar Antony Kariyil and submitted a memorandum in search of his intervention to resolve the current confusion concerning Holy Mass. 

The monks submitted a written request stating that till the prevailing mode of mass going through the individuals is legitimised, they won’t cooperate with the key archbishop and  Syro-Malabar workplace at Mount St Thomas. 

“It is our right to celebrate the mass in the same mode which we have been doing for the past 50 years. Hence, we demand that the mass verus populum (mass facing the people) be legitimised rather than being allowed as a dispensation. We the priests along with the faithful have decided that we will continue our struggle against the synod and the Oriental Congregation until this right is guaranteed and formally legitimised,” mentioned Fr Sebastin Thaliyan, convener of  Athirupatha Samrakshana Samithi, within the attraction submitted on Saturday. 

After the go to to the Vatican, Mar Kariyil has issued a round granting exemption to church buildings and parishes below the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese citing Canon 1538. Synod’s resolution to implement the uniform mode of holy mass got here into impact on November 28. The priest mentioned within the memorandum that they won’t compromise with the cardinal and the synod on the mode of celebrating the holy mass.

“When the synod tried to enforce its injudicious decision about the uniform mode of celebration of holy qurbana upon this archdiocese, it was the timely intervention of Pope Francis that created an atmosphere of peace and harmony here. A conflicting situation was thus effectively averted when Mar Antony Kariyil was authorised by the Pope to make use of the provision of Canon 1538 to dispense with the synodal decision for good of the faithful,” memorandum said.

“We earnestly request you to inform the Pope immediately about the latest volatile and anarchic situation created in our archdiocese by the major archbishop together with the Oriental Congregation.  We, all priests and lay faithful, request archbishop Kariyil to take all necessary steps in consultation and obedience to the Pope to bring back peace and unity by getting the mass legitimised. We also request him to brief all the bishops of the synod that their attempt to enforce uniformity over unity is not only an utter failure, but also contrary to the will and instruction of Pope Francis,” the memorandum mentioned.